CURRENT MISSION

The Globe Written by One

ABOUT ME

I'm an American of Indian origin (Kannadiga). While I belong to the Indian community of the state of Georgia by upbringing and to the spaces of Mysore and Dakshin Kannada through family and heritage, after a decade of traveling the world and living all over the planet I identify only as a global citizen and Mumbaikher (where I have settled) . I am also a novelist and poet. I am most known for a novel called we of the forsaken world (which you can easily learn about on Google), but I'm currently working on a literary web serialization that takes place all over the world and emails its stories in real time. It is called Girar, and you can find that at www.girar.world

I have spent the last decade travelling because I really want to write a literature for our global consciousness.
I have been to 150 countries now, speak 12 languages, and have lived in 25 places. I see Mumbai as my home as I am trying to help create more spaces and ways for Indians only from India to learn to become global citizens, but I am grateful for this planet to hosting me and giving me many places to write from…

Some links about me if you want more info:

Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiran_Bhat
Website: https://kiranbhatweldgeist.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7108337.Kiran_Bhat
Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/stores/Kiran-Bhat/author/B082PLB3TY?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeltgeistKiran
Instagram: originalsin_0421
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeltgeistKiran/

I really hope to meet people who are interested in engaging in the work I do as a novelist, author, and global citizen. I look forward to hearing from you.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I have no idea, but maybe age will tell me why. I was super active on this site a few years ago. Am trying to give it a shot again.

Interests

Writing, reading, repeat, rinse, repeat.

• arts
• writing
• books
• literature
• wine
• partying
• reading
• traveling
• socializing
• drawing
• surfing
• teaching

Music, Movies, and Books

My main influences currently are Tolstoy and Vyasa. They both wrote incredibly vast and epic texts that created a depth of humanity I haven't seen in other works. These are the types of books I like, and they are also the kinds of books I want to write. After that, I would say I strongly adore and appreciate Banabhatta, Cervantes, Chekhov, Dante, Dostoevsky, Faulkner, Joyce, Kabir, Kafka, Kalidasa, Lermontov, Lispector, Melville, Pessoa, Proust, Pushkin, Shonagan, Tagore, and then a host of others I probably either have read or liked but wasn't influenced enough to put here. Please talk to me about books. I love them too much.

I tend to like movies that are dark and profound, something on the lines about All About Eve or Sunset Boulevard. I do like a lot of Tarantino, Lynch, Woody Allen (I know, child molestor, boo), Francis Ford Coppala, and the Coen brothers, but I also like Stars Wars, X-men, and a good action movie now and then. I was raised on Bollywood so I still watch those movies fairly regularly (particularly the better side of Hindi indie film), and I am quite versed in Sandalwood as well. The Russians and Turks are also good movie makers, I have noticed...

My television favorites are usually experimental comedies a la carte Parks and Rec or Community, though I do have a special place in my heart for animated work, whether they be funny shorts like South Park or psychological thrillers from Japan (Monster, Serial Experiments Lain, Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc).

Music: Depends on the mood. Electronic and pop when I'm running (there's always a time for GaGa), jazz and bossa nova for those days down low (stained fruit, nao quero lhe falar...), Turkish pop for when I want to sing out loud to myself like in a soap opera, and Carnatic music when I am in the mood to be at peace with the world.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I've seen too much to rightfully answer this...

Teach, Learn, Share

I learned the hard way that CSing should be equal. That, it's not just about taking from your host, but also adding to their lives in some way. And that's hard, when you're only around for a few days, and all you can do is perhaps joke around or talk about yourself. It doesn't help either that, sometimes, you're just not going to like your CSer, and you question how you're going to get anything done with him or her.

In other words, be open, and try to be as respectful and grateful as possible. These people are taking time out of their lives for you. That's pretty big, so make sure they know you know that!

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Sint Maarten (Dutch part), Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands, British, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Countries I’ve Lived In

Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

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